All about Fibre & why we don't need it

Why We Don’t Need Fibre on a Carnivore Diet

The common belief

We’re often told:

“Fibre is essential for digestion and gut health”

But this idea comes from plant-based or mixed diets—not necessarily from how the human body must function.

Human digestive system

First: how digestion actually works

Digestion is a front-loaded process, meaning most of the work happens early.

The steps:

• 👀 Seeing & smelling food → prepares digestion

• 🦷 Chewing → breaks food down + signals stomach

• 🔥 Stomach → strong acid breaks down protein

• ⚙️ Small intestine → absorbs most nutrients

👉 By this point: Most of the food is already digested and absorbed

What reaches the colon?

Very little.

The colon mainly:

• Absorbs water

• Processes leftovers

On a carnivore diet:

• There is minimal waste

• Less bulk is needed

  
  

What Is Fibre? (Simple Explanation)

Fibre is a type of carbohydrate found in plant foods—but unlike other carbs:

👉 Your body cannot digest or absorb it for energy

What makes fibre different?

Most carbohydrates:

• Are broken down into glucose

• Used for energy

Fibre:

• Passes through the stomach and small intestine mostly unchanged

• Reaches the colon intact

👉 That’s the key difference.

What happens to fibre in the body

Once fibre reaches the large intestine:

• Gut bacteria ferment some of it

• This produces small amounts of by-products (like short-chain fatty acids)

• The rest is excreted

👉 So fibre is:

• Partly fermented by gut bacteria

• Partly just add “bulk” to stool

• The indigestible part of plants

• Not broken down for nutrients

The cecum: where fibre is handled

The cecum is the part of the gut where fibre fermentation begins.

Key difference:

• 🐄 Herbivores → large cecum → rely on fibre for energy

• 🧍 Humans → small cecum → limited fibre fermentation

👉 This tells us: Fibre is not a primary energy source for humans

Why fibre isn’t essential on Carnivore diet (or on any other diets really)?

1. Animal foods are highly digestible

• Protein and fat are absorbed early

• Very little waste remains

2. No need for “bulk”

• Less waste = less need to push things through

• Smaller stools are normal

3. Less gut irritation (for some people)

Fibre can cause:

• Bloating

• Gas

• Irritation

Removing it may:

• Calm digestion

• Improve symptoms

4. The body adapts

• Gut bacteria shift

• Digestion becomes more efficient

👉 Less frequent bowel movements ≠ constipation

Why we do not need fibre

What about constipation?

Constipation is often blamed on low fibre—but the real causes are usually:

• ⚡ High stress (via cortisol)

• 💧 Low hydration / electrolytes= low salt intake

• 🥩 Not enough fat

• 🧠 Poor digestive signalling

👉 Fibre changes stool size—not necessarily function

It is like adding a nother car to a traffic jam.

Digestion is designed to absorb nutrients early—and humans are not built to rely on fibre fermentation.

On a carnivore diet, digestion becomes efficient enough that fiber is optional, not essential.